David Del Tredici: Farewell Context American composer David Del Tredici has composed a number of works in a range of different genres, from symphonic to chamber and solo. Farewell for solo violin was commissioned by virtuoso Hilary Hahn, which she often uses as her encore work. This serene work is Read more…
Interview with Genevieve Arkle Genevieve Arkle is currently a final-year PhD researcher at The University of Surrey, where she is writing her thesis on the musical allusions to Richard Wagner’s Parsifal in Gustav Mahler’s songs and symphonies. She has worked as an Associate Lecturer at the UoS and as a Visiting Lecturer Read more…
Malcolm Arnold: Brass Quintet No.1 Context Composed in 1961 specifically for the New York Brass Quintet, Malcolm Arnold’s Brass Quintet No.1 was an instant hit. Since its inception the work has remained one of Arnold’s most-performed chamber works amongst high-level brass ensembles. It was one of the trailblazing works that Read more…
Alan Menken: The Bell Tower Context Shortly after completing Pocahontas together, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz were offered the chance to work on the music for the 1996 Disney film The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The soundtrack to the film, like many other Disney films, mixes a selection of songs Read more…
Clara Wieck-Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor Context Clara Wieck-Schumann completed her only piano concerto in 1835, when she was aged 15. Already an accomplished touring concert pianist by age 11, Wieck was no stranger to the piano, thus making her Piano Concerto in A minor a true test of Read more…
Alan Menken: Farewell from Pocahontas Context After some great musical successes in the 1980s, Walt Disney Studios hired Alan Menken to write the music for the 1989 film The Little Mermaid. The film signalled a renaissance for Disney animated films, and Menken played a big role in that. Menken has Read more…
Arvo Pärt: Summa Context Summa was first composed in 1978 by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt as a choral work. Some twelve years later, Pärt arranged Summa for string orchestra, which is perhaps the more-performed version today (and the version this blog will focus on). The work reflects the original text Read more…
Paul Drayton: Masterpiece Context Paul Drayton was born in the East of Yorkshire, 1944. After taking an academic route at a young age, Drayton successfully completed his advanced performing diploma of the Royal Academy of Music by the time he was sixteen. After this, he went to study his undergraduate degree Read more…
Interview with Ella Taylor Ella Taylor is a soprano with a passion for performing contemporary music and works by women and gender non-conforming artists. They were a Young Artist with the National Opera Studio for 2019/20 season, as well as a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, where they Read more…
Christopher Rouse: Supplica Context Christopher Rouse was commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Pacific Symphony in 2013 to compose a work for orchestra. Rouse came up with Supplica – a short orchestral work for a reduced ensemble. The piece was premiered by the PSO under Juraj Valcuha in Read more…